To diet or not to diet?
That is the question many of us are asking ourselves, now that it’s the middle of January and the winter of our discontentment with our post-holiday waistlines is setting in.
OK, so I’m mixing my Hamlet with my Richard III, but let’s face it, this is that time of year when the holiday’s bulge has settled down for a nice winter’s nap, or at least a nice lie on the couch.
This year, we actually have a valid excuse for not brushing those cookie crumbs out of the corners of our mouths and hopping onto a treadmill. A recent survey by Trulia, the real estate website, has bad news for our bottoms.
It ranked Akron in the Top 10 Worst Metropolitan Areas to live in to lose weight. Akron came in at No. 9.
The survey based its studies on five criteria:
• The number of traditional restaurants or slow food establishments versus fast food establishments in the metro area.
• The ease with which residents can walk or bike to work.
• The number of gyms per 1,000 residents.
• The number of sporting goods stores per 1,000 residents (a gauge of availability of outdoor activities).
• The number of weight loss or diet centers per 1,000 residents.
Quite frankly, I’m surprised that other Ohio metropolitan areas didn’t fare worse.
Recently, my father was explaining to me how the local “wellness center” in my hometown, where he goes several times a week to walk on a treadmill, sells really good cookies and cupcakes.
You read that right.
It seems the wellness center has a nice café inside where there are plenty of treats to reward yourself after a workout. The cookies, in fact, are giant-sized, my dad boasted.
“What else do they serve, mostaccioli and meatballs?” I asked.
And without missing a beat, Dad replied, “No, just pizza, but that’s only on Saturdays because they have a lot of kids there on the weekends.”
Again, I am not making this up.
Somewhere Michelle Obama is having a nervous breakdown.
“Does fresh fruit, bottled water or maybe a granola bar enter this picture anywhere?” I chided. Dad assured me that water and granola bars were available in the vending machines, but the good food was at the café.
Then I got a lecture from my dad about how I shouldn’t make fun of the café or his local wellness center, and I definitely shouldn’t write about this. “After all, it keeps me healthy,” he said. Unfortunately, I think he was referring to the café food, not the treadmill.
But honestly, I have no moral high ground to stand on here.
I haven’t stepped foot inside a gym in more years than I care to admit. Of course, if I had known they started serving giant cookies and cupcakes, I would have made a better effort.
Until next week, have fun in the kitchen and the gym, but just remember, you’re supposed to go there to take off the cookies, not put them on.
Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at labraham@thebeaconjournal.com. Find me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @akronfoodie or visit my blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/lisa.
